


The Heart of Black and White

by AceArtNerd



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu | Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, accept this rarepair of rarepairs or die, this was enabled by people on Discord, you know who you are
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2018-08-04
Packaged: 2019-06-18 07:18:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 2,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15480480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceArtNerd/pseuds/AceArtNerd
Summary: A tale of Ares and Julia, from after the war ends to their last days together (not really.)





	1. Day 1: Rain/Snow/Sunshine

**Author's Note:**

> This was enabled by people on Discord. If you’re reading this and you know who I am, you know who you are.

Julia sighed, staring at the snowy winds of Slisse. It had been a long time since she had been here, and trying to find Lewyn was no easy task now that the war was over. It was almost as if he disappeared off of the face of the earth. Shivering a little, she wrapped her scarf closer around her neck and face before having a large coat pushed on her. Looking up in surprise, she smiled in thanks at Ares, who was blushing a little and looking away. 

“I can tell you’re still cold. Stop being so quiet about things.” It was very Ares of him to say that, and Julia blushed as well, wrapping his coat a little tighter as they walked. 

They eventually got to a cabin that she recognized, and nodded at the blond to follow her inside. It was still warm, and the fire ablaze, with a small pot and kettle over it. Setting the snow-covered coat and her cloak near the fire, she sat down and sighed in relief. 

“It’s safe here Ares. We can rest for a little, and then we can continue searching for him after this storm dies down.” He seemed hesitant to accept staying in a cabin in the absolute middle of nowhere in Slisse, but sighed himself and sat down. It was a few minutes of the fire crackling in the background before either of them spoke again. 

“It’s getting worse Julia. If it continues like this, we’ll have to stay here longer than we thought we would have to.” She nodded and closed her eyes, not remembering the fact that she held romantic feelings for Ares at the moment when she was exhausted from walking around all day. Almost falling asleep in a chair wasn’t too comfortable though, so Ares picked her up and places her on the only bed in the cabin. 

Julia fell asleep not too long after, and so the blond had time to sift through his thoughts. It was strange, holding some sort of feelings for Seliph’s sister, but as long as the major Baldur didn’t find out before Ares was genuinely ready to confess and force them to get together, things might just be okay.


	2. Day 2: Longing/Denial/Loneliness

It had been some time since Ares and Julia’s attempt at finding Lewyn, but they went back to Grandvalle unsuccessful. Julia was still harboring a crush on Ares, and it felt terrible hiding it from everyone. After they got back, Julia had locked herself in her room to try and get a grip with what she had done to Julius, and it left a rift in how she acted. It was almost as if...no, he couldn’t think about that. 

Ares was more frustrated than ever now. Why did no one see what Julia was doing was exactly what he did after Eldigan died? No one wanted to accept the truth, that Julia was depressed because she had to kill her own brother, but all the gods be damned if Ares wasn’t going to try to help her in some way. 

Gently knocking on her door, Ares waited for a response from Julia but heard nothing. He went inside anyway, and found her staring out the window into the castle garden. He was quiet, not trying to disturb her, but then she spoke. 

“It’s strange, isn’t it. No matter what we do, there is always death. Blood on my hands, a stain in my heart- no one would understand other than you.” It was startling, how much Julius’s death had changed her, and Ares longed for the Julia who laughed at the jokes the rest of the Liberation Army said, who gave advice to those who needed it, who helped him- it was then that Ares realized he had fallen for her, but ignored those feelings in favor of giving her a shoulder to lean on when she needed it.


	3. Day 3: Beginnings / Journeys / Goodbyes

“But why do you have to leave? We only got back recently!” Julia yelled, not realizing how loud she was being. “We’ve barely started getting everything settled- I have no idea how to run a kingdom Seliph.” She quieted down, her eyes open and expression showing disbelief. She looked so...young, and it was startling to Ares that she really was only human. 

“I have to go to help Shannan, Ulster, and Larcei Julia. I know this is sudden, but you getting used to leading would be wise if something happened to me. Besides, you act like I don’t see how you look at Ares. You aren’t the most subtle, you know.” Julia blushed, and merely wished her half-brother a farewell before walking off. 

Stopping in a hallway, she looked out a window, not noticing Ares walking behind her. He lightly tapped her shoulder and she jumped, a small blade of wind brushing past the taller of the two. 

“Sorry, I’m not used to people walking up behind me….” 

“You’re fine Julia. Honestly, I have to stop creeping up on people.” It was a few awkward moments of silence after that, with both of them trying to get a handle on what to say. Larcei did show up, but she went back to her spot once she saw who was there. Better to just leave them to figure things out than get involved. Besides, she had her own things to worry about. 

Ares and Julia then went on a walk, both of them knowing what to say but not exactly how. It was near sunset now, and the two ended up on a balcony. Julia sighed, indicating that she wanted to speak first. 

“Ares….what happens now that everything’s over? It’s either me or Seliph who have to run an entire kingdom, and neither of us know how.” Myself much less than him, she thought. Growing up in Slisse really took away any real chance I had at learning the ins and outs of ruling. 

“Julia, it’s going to be okay. You have Larcei and Ulster to fall back on, as well as Seliph and Lweyn if we find him again.” Ares didn’t say much more, knowing that Julia didn’t like talking too much about...well, almost everything. He took a deep breath and reached for her hand, and she didn’t move away. It was a new beginning of sorts, and the war’s winter had finally ended.


	4. Day 4: Battles / Loss / Victory

It was summer now, and the war had long passed for those living in Grannvale. Julia had been left to her own devices that day, since Seliph and Larcei were off doing their own thing, and no one else was planned to visit. 

The comments about how much she looked like her mother were getting to her, now more than ever, because of the fact she was almost the age Deidre was when she married Sigurd. Yes, her hair had started to curl on the ends, and yes, her major blood was the same as her mother’s, but they weren’t really alike at all. So when Julia spotted a pair of scissors and a mirror, and idea came to her head. 

Not too long later, she emerged with hair that was much shorter than it had been previously, the pair of scissors left on a dresser near her room. It was honestly so much better already, as the heat had been unbearable, even with her hair tied up. Her brand had stayed hidden, thank goodness, and she bumped into someone in one of the halls when she hadn’t been paying attention. 

“Sorry about that….Ares? I thought you wouldn’t be here for another couple days!” She sounded a little panicked, realizing that someone would blab to literally the rest of Jugdral about the fact that she had cut her hair to get of an image people saw instead of her. 

“...I like your hair.” Ares, on the other hand, didn’t want to admit that he got here early just to see her, and that it had nothing to do with the fact there was a summit that all of their fellow major-bloods and Leif had to attend. 

“Oh...thank you?” It was these two’s second or third time meeting in a hallway, but both were much more comfortable now than the first time. It was a little relieving for the both of them, now that they knew each other better. It was kind of a victory, letting everything in the past go and accepting things as they come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might draw something for this, since I have some art ideas now. Also I have some art I'll post on twitter in correlation with Day 6 if I finish it in time, so stay tuned!


	5. Day 5: Steal/Treasure/Return

“Yes Seliph, I understand you want to marry Larcei. You don’t have to hide from me you know.” Julia smirked as she spoke to her half-brother, who blushed a little at the mention of marrying Larcei. “It’s adorable, how you think people don’t notice the fact you like her. If it wasn’t for the fact we’re both pining after someone out of our leagues I would’ve told Ulster a while ago.” She was bluffing, but honestly if she was more assertive she probably would have. 

“Wait...you’re pining after someone? Does it have anything to do with your haircut?” Right, this is why I don’t talk about my feelings- it ends up being gossip. She just kind of ran off after that, ending up outside. She spotted the training area and went over, choosing to make the most of her time. Picking up a light sword, she took a few practice swings with it before a deeper voice called out from behind her. 

“You should be careful with that. You might hurt yourself since you aren’t used to using swords.” It was Ares, who walked over with Mystletainn in hand. “If you’re going for a fighting style like the one you use already, quick strikes in succession might be better than just a single strike with a lot of power.” It was a bit different, and the two spent the rest of the afternoon going over basics and such so Julia could use melee weapons instead of relying on her magic in case she didn’t have it. It was useful, but there was a bit of a surprise planned. 

“Julia, I wanted to give you something. I know it’s a little...sudden, but I feel like you’re more worthy of it than I am.” It was a ring, and Julia looked up at him in confusion before he continued speaking. “It’s a promise ring, meant to go to the one who claimed the heart of the head of house Nordion. I got it from my mother before she died, and now I want you to have it.” Her eyes went a little teary before she nodded, and the ring went on her right hand. 

“Are you sure I can have it? We’ve barely known each other for a year.” He nodded, and they talked a while more before going inside with a promise to meet back there tomorrow to continue training. It would be a while before Julia would be ready to use a sword, and the only way to get better would be to train for days on end, then ending up on the floor from exhaustion and taking a couple days off before starting the process over again.


	6. Day 6: Balls / Festivals / Weddings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ares and Julia get married, and some other stuff happens but hey, wedding!

It was a decently warm Autumn day, and a rather large group of people had assembled in Belhalla for something that hadn’t happened for a while now- a wedding. The girls were getting ready and keeping an eye on the bride-to-be, while there wasn’t much activity from the guys in the castle. 

“Do I look alright?” The bride asked. It was surprisingly not Larcei, as most of them thought, but Julia, whose courtship with Ares had happened rather quickly. People did say that they were practically meant for each other though, and those gathered at the castle agreed. However, some nervousness was afoot, as the last a wedding happened at the castle Julia and Julius had been announced and they were born soon after, so i was a bit nerve-racking. 

“Oh please, you’ll be fine. You look great, and I don’t see a reason he’d get cold feet now.” That was Larcei, persistent as ever on assuring Julia’s fears wouldn’t come to light. Lana also chimed an agreement, before the necessary four items for every wedding were given to Julia. 

The “something blue” was the easiest, as her bouquet was made of blue flowers. The “something old” and “something borrowed” were the rings, as they had belonged to either Deidre and Arvis or Eldigan and Grainne, and both Ares and Julia wanted to use them. The “something new” was the headpiece holding her veil in place, as it had been made for someone of their band of “New Crusaders” got married. 

After a while, it was time, and Julia started her walk down the aisle alone before Seliph joined her. The ceremony after that took very little time, with a few tears at the vows, before the group headed back inside the castle for food (and because it had gotten colder.) Ares and Julia were found in the corner with Julia sleeping, and the much taller of the two of them simply sat there, waiting for her to wake up. 

It was nice, having something to look forward to besides meetings and the occasional get-together between those raised in Tirnanog+Julia, but something had been missing from all of it- no one else knew what happened when a bunch of those with Holt Blood were scattered and left to be forgotten as myth once Julia, the last major Naga, had disappeared and everything had been left to Arvis and Julius. Now that it was over, peace finally seemed to come back to Jugdral, little by little at a time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The art's gonna appear eventually, so I'll update the fic with the art in this note when I post it somewhere.


	7. Day 7: Epilogue

Several years later, Ares and Julia were taking a break from their duties and had brought their children to a field so all of them could enjoy a break. The oldest, and the one who looked most like Julia, had taken to keeping an eye on the youngest two while the middle child, a boy with red hair, read by himself near Julia. It seemed peaceful, but in reality the parents had brought their children out to talk to them about the only thing that seemed to matter to the people in Jugdral: Holy Blood. 

Scáthach led the twins, Branwen and Fionn to where Áed was sitting and their parents nodded at each other. 

“All four of you have such long lives to lead, but we found it best to tell you now so up can hone that power, and use it to protect rather than endanger,” Julia started to speak, but Áed just signed at her that he knew what she was talking about. She smiled and patted his head, sitting down and motioning for Ares to as well.

“Well Áed, yes, you know as does Scáthach, but do the twins? That you are major Fjalar, that Scáthach is major Naga, and that they are both major Hezul?” The story behind both of the twins having major holy blood is a long one, which will be saved for another time, but Áed was far more knowledgeable about stuff and history than his older sister, who liked talking to her cousins and being the older sister of the group.

“Does that mean we’ll get to be cool like you and Dad?” Branwen asked, her excitement far more powerful than Fionn’s anxiety was being. “If we do, I call dibs on Dad’s sword!” The parents chuckled, and the family of six went on their day as usual after that, with little standing in their way other than Fionn and Branwen’s questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone wants to see a fic of the kids' misadventures please let me know and I think I'll put something together before school starts up again. Anyway, that's the end of FE Rarepair Week 2018! Let me know how I did and if the collection is up, thanks for reading!


End file.
